This invention relates to a dietary composition and method for enhancing immune response and improving the overall health of canines, and more particularly, to a dietary composition which includes an effective amount of garlic, which, when fed to canines, provides antioxidant, anticancer, and immunomodulatory benefits.
In recent years, the health effects of garlic for humans have become an area of active research with regard to the prevention and treatment of disease. Garlic may be provided in many forms; e.g., as a natural product in raw or cooked form, as a water or oil soluble extract, a powder, and as purified forms of the bioactive compounds.
Studies have shown that organosulfur compounds found in garlic have antioxidant properties. In addition, it has been found that garlic may also function as an anticancer agent. For example, the garlic compound S-allylmercaptocysteine has been found to reduce the growth of human prostate carcinoma LNCaP cells. 1 Garlic has also been found to reduce the incidence of chemical induced tumors in rats.2 1Pinto J T, Qiao C, Xing J, Rivlin R S, Protomastro M L, Weissler M L, Tao Y, Thaler H, Heston W D, xe2x80x9cEffects of garlic thioallyl derivatives on growth, glutathione concentration, and polyamine formation of human prostate carcinoma cells in culturexe2x80x9d Am J Clin Nutr 1997; 66:398-405. 2Liu J, Lin R I, Milner J A, xe2x80x9cInhibition of 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced mammary tumors and DNA adducts by garlic powderxe2x80x9d Carcinogenesis 1992; 13:1847-1851.
It is also believed that the sulfur-containing components of garlic may contribute to immune modulating properties. For example, a garlic extract and a garlic protein fraction were found to increase the oxidative burst of a J744 mouse macrophage cell line and mouse peritoneal macrophages.3 3Lau B H, Yamasaki T, Gridley D S, xe2x80x9cGarlic compounds modulate macrophage and T-lymphocyte functionsxe2x80x9d Mol Biother 1991; 3:103-107.
However, few studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of garlic on companion animals such as canines. Accordingly, there is still a need in the art for a method of utilizing the health benefits of garlic in a dietary composition for canines.
The present invention meets that need by providing a process for feeding dogs a diet containing an effective amount of garlic which has been found to provide enhanced immune response and improve the overall health of the animal. Preferably, the dog is fed a diet which includes garlic in an amount of from about 1 to 10 g/kg diet.
When a composition containing an effective amount of garlic is administered to dogs in a quantity and frequency appropriate for their nutritional needs, it has been found that the immune response is enhanced by increased lymphocyte blastogenesis.
Accordingly, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a process for enhancing immune response and improving the overall health of dogs by providing an effective amount of garlic in the diet of the animal. This, and other features and advantages of the present invention, will become apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.